


Love in my arms and the sun in my eyes

by bonsaiScribbler



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Mentions of past child abuse, Parenthood, family au, mentions of foster care
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:28:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27728113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonsaiScribbler/pseuds/bonsaiScribbler
Summary: The scene that greets Jeonghan when he enters their home is reminiscent of a hurricane wreaking havoc on their house. Taking a deep breath and readjusting his hold on the unhappy toddler in his arms, he wades forward into the chaos. Following the trail of destruction, picking up wooden blocks left and right, he comes across a rather peculiar sight.His husband, his formerly white shirt suspiciously stained, flat on his belly, trying to peek under the door to the kids' room.Short stories from the daily lives of Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and their adopted children
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 157





	1. Chapter 1

The scene that greets Jeonghan when he enters their home is reminiscent of a hurricane wreaking havoc on their house. Taking a deep breath and readjusting his hold on the unhappy toddler in his arms, he wades forward into the chaos. Following the trail of destruction, picking up wooden blocks left and right, he comes across a rather peculiar sight.

His husband, his formerly white shirt suspiciously stained, flat on his belly, trying to peek under the door to the kids' room. Soft murmurs float to where he is watching his darling husband. Byeol lets out a happy little squeal at the sight of her father and wiggles in Jeonghan's arms. Surprised, Seungcheol jerks up, revealing a black eye so vivid that Jeonghan almost drops Byeol.

  
  


There's a beat before Seungcheol jumps to his feet, rushing at him and Jeonghan is torn between fear for Seungcheol and fear for Jaewoo. The injury on Seungcheol's face is jarring and he's terrified whoever attacked his husband also hurt their son.

  
  


“Hannie, I need your help!” Seungcheol says, grabbing hold of Jeonghan's shoulders. “Can you get Jaewoo out of his room? He locked himself in?”

  
  


Was it a burglar? What in the world happened?

  
  


“What happened?” He manages to get out, staring at Seungcheol's swollen eye. “Who hurt you? Do we need to call the police?”

  
  


As if burnt, Seungcheol lets go, and takes a step back – suspiciously not meeting Jeonghan's gaze. A dark red flush covers his neck, spreading all the way to his ears.

  
  


Oh! If not a burglar then...

  
  


“Seungcheol, did our six year old clock you in the face?” Jeonghan asks, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice, now that there is no sign of immediate danger.

  
  


“No...” Seungcheol sounds so petulant that Jeonghan can't help but kiss him. Not wanting to be outdone, Byeol lets herself fall forward into her other father's arms and plants her version of a kiss on his biceps, giving him the brightest smile. “Not quite... I mean, it's not that bad, right?”

  
  


Holding back a snort, Jeonghan contemplates leaving Seungcheol to his delusion. “You look like someone socked you in the face. Pretty amazing colours, my darling.”

  
  


“Hannie!” Seungcheol whines, and a delighted Byeol tries to imitate him. “It's not... Hannie, Jaewoo took one look at my face and locked himself inside his room.”

  
  


There's something missing in his story, but Jeonghan will give his distraught husband a pass for now.

  
  


“I'll get him out. You go and put some ice on that eye.” Jeonghan tells him, ushering him towards the kitchen. “And warm up Byeollie's bottle. It's almost time.”

  
  


With quiet protests and hopeful looks Seungcheol walks towards the kitchen. Once he's disappeared inside, Jeonghan sits down with his back against the door.

  
  


“Hey baby.” He greets the door, listening for a sound inside. “We're back. Byeollie is doing much better already and the doctor said it's only a cold.”

  
  


Nothing, not a single sound from the kids' room.

  
  


“She was so excited to go home.” He continues. “I think she really missed you.”

  
  


Quiet shuffling, Jaewoo must be closer to the door.

  
  


“I was thinking, we should clean up this mess and then watch some cartoons.” Jeonghan muses out loud. “Byeollie needs lots of cuddles and she loves yours best.”

  
  


The key turns and the door swings open, revealing a miserable Jaewoo. Snot and tears stick to his face and his lips are bruised and bitten almost raw. Slowly and gently, making sure that Jaewoo can see his every move, Jeonghan reaches out and draws him into his arms.

  
  


“Hey baby.” He whispers into Jaewoo's soft hair. “Are you okay?”

  
  


It's like a dam breaking. Sobbing and crying, Jaewoo clings to Jeonghan, apologizing over and over again. Out of the corner of his eye Jeonghan can see a visibly concerned Seungcheol poking his head out of the kitchen. Shaking his head at Seungcheol, he starts rubbing Jaewoo's back. It takes far too long for his liking for his soon to calm down.

  
  


“You're okay. You're safe.” Jeonghan tells him, brushing Jaewoo's tears away. “You're with us.”

  
  


Eventually the awfully heartbreaking crying subsides, and Jaewoo stills in his arms.

  
  


“Do you want to talk about it?” Immediately Jaewoo tenses and the tears start again. Through sobs and hiccups Jaewoo tries to tell Jeonghan what caused all of this, but Jeonghan can't make out a single word. “Slow down, baby. It's okay. No one is mad at you.”

  
  


That brings about a fresh burst of tears.

  
  


“I didn't mean to!” Jaewoo chokes out. “We were- we were playing! An'- an' -an' I fell...”

  
  


Every little hiccup is another knife in Jeonghan's heart.

  
  


“Appa tried t-to pick me up!” Jaewoo cries, snot dripping down his chin. “B-but it wasn't- wasn't him! An' I had a block, and I threw it!”

  
  


The wail that Jaewoo lets out is too much for Seungcheol who comes barreling out of the kitchen with Byeol in his arms. Byeol gives a distressed cry when she sees her brother, trying to throw herself out of Seungcheol's arms and into her brother's. At the sound of Byeol's voice, Jaewoo turns around and gives in to her grabby hands.

They end up in a tangle on the floor. It's uncomfortable, but they both endure whatever it takes for their children, Jeonghan knows.

  
  


After a few minutes Jaewoo's crying stops, but Byeol keeps patting her brother's cheeks, imitating the way Jeonghan hums when they are upset.

  
  


“I'm sorry.” Jaewoo whispers, reaching a shaking hand out to Seungcheol and grabbing on to his shirt. “Please don't send me away.”

  
  
  


Two years of hard work. Two years and Jaewoo is still haunted, and will be for the rest of his life. Two years with them, and he's still scared of being sent away.

It's heartbreaking. But they will keep reminding him that he's safe, that he's with them, that they're family forever.

  
  
  


“Of course not, baby.” Jeonghan reassures him, taking note of the far away look on Jaewoo's face. “We love you and we'll never send you away.”

  
  


“It's okay. Appa's sorry that he startled you.” Seungcheol is quick to chime in, gently pulling both Jaewoo and Byeol into his arms.

  
  


“How about I get your thunder blanket and we cuddle on the couch?” Jeonghan suggests, and upon Jaewoo's quiet sound of agreement, leaves the pile to pick up Jaewoo's safety blanket.

  
  


While he goes into the kids' room, Jeonghan places a quick call with Jaewoo's therapist, setting up an appointment for the next day. When he returns with the weighted blanket, Seungcheol has already made a little nest on the couch and turned on the TV.

  
  


Carefully wrapping only Jaewoo in his blanket, he curls up next to their little nest, watching their son closely. Across from him he can Seungcheol doing the same. He wants to ask what happened, but for now their focus is on their precious little boy who is miles away.

  
  
  


It's much later, both children safely tucked into their beds, that Jeonghan learns the whole story. How Seungcheol and Jaewoo had taken all of Byeol's wooden blocks and started building a castle for their little princess. The castle had sadly toppled over several times, but they had been determined to make Byeol feel better after her doctor's visit.

At some point Jaewoo had tripped over a block and fallen. Seungcheol, without thinking, had moved too quickly to check Jaewoo for injuries, and startled the boy. Terrified and not recognizing Seungcheol, he'd chucked the wooden block in his hand straight at Seungcheol's face, and then made an escape to his room, where Jeonghan had found them not much later.

  
  


“I'm an awful father.” Seungcheol whispers in the dark under the blankets. “I didn't think at all. I just... I just tried to grab him... and he didn't even recognize me.”

  
  


“It's not your fault.” Jeonghan reminds him, snuggling into Seungcheol's arms. “It was an accident. You couldn't have known what would happen.”

  
  


“But I should have.” Seungcheol begins again. It's a pointless argument and they both know it. They both know that some things can't be easily fixed. But Seungcheol is getting lost in his own guilt, and Jeonghan won't have it.

  
  


“Seungcheol, I love you.” He says. “And Jaewoo loves you too. And Byeollie, of course. You didn't mean to scare him and Jaewoo didn't mean to hit you in the face.”

  
  


“I know...”

  
  


“Tomorrow you're going to take Jaewoo to Miss Lee.” Jeonghan tells him. “And then you're going to talk about everything. It's going to be just fine. We both knew this would happen again.”

  
  


“But it's been so long.” Seungcheol murmurs, burying his nose in Jeonghan's hair. “He was doing so well and I messed it up.”

  
  


“We all mess up.” Jeonghan reminds him, repeating the words that Miss Lee told him when he set off Jaewoo to the point where he went completely non-verbal for an entire week. “We learn from that. Remember when I brought home that toy train and freaked him out so badly that he couldn't sleep without his thunder blanket?”

  
  


“Yeah.”

  
  


“He didn't hold it against me, did he?” Jeonghan asks. Deep down they both know that Jaewoo loves them dearly. “He still loves us more than anything.”

  
  


“I know.” Seungcheol hums, and Jeonghan can't stand it anymore. He has to stop Seungcheol from getting lost in his own head.

  
  


“Besides, he got you pretty good.” Jeonghan tells him. “Maybe you should tell your coworkers that you got into a bar brawl.”

  
  


“Hannie!” Seungcheol sounds so scandalized that Jeonghan fights to hold in his laughter.

  
  


“Or you know, with aim like that we might want to sign him up for baseball or basketball.”

  
  


“Why are you so mean?” Seungcheol whines, and pinches Jeonghan's side.

  
  
  


That the ensuing tickle fight doesn't wake the children is nothing short of a miracle.

  
  


“Hey,” Seungcheol whispers in his ear, hand trailing over Jeonghan's torso. “Thank you.”

  
  


“You're welcome.” Jeonghan says, kissing his husband goodnight. “I love you."

  
  


“I love you too.”

  
  
  


A few moments of silence pass, and he can't quite help himself.

  
  


“I think he'd be better suited for baseball.”

  
  


“Hannie!”


	2. Chapter 2

The waiting room is bright and cheerful. Animal posters decorate the walls. Colourful toys are strewn across the floor, left by the children that had been playing with them. Jaewoo and Byeol have taken to the corner, wooden blocks firmly in their hands, and Jaewoo is guiding Byeol through placing the blocks.

Outside the waiting room Jeonghan is talking to a nurse. The elderly nurse gives him a big, reassuring smile and presses a lollipop into Jeonghan's hand, guiding him into the waiting room.  
  


“But what if-!”   
  
  


“They'll be fine.” The nurse says, leading Jeonghan to where Seungcheol is sitting. “They'll barely even notice. Just a little pinch and it's all over. And a lollipop will soothe the pain.”   
  
  


“But,” Grasping Jeonghan's hand, Seungcheol pulls him into the chair next to his. “Jaewoo is okay with it and Byeol is very brave.”   
  
  


“But what if it hurts? What if Beyol's body reacts badly to the shot? She's so tiny. What if she gets sick?”   
  
  


Before his husband can work himself into a frenzy, Seungcheol draws him into a soft kiss, hoping to distract him if only for a minute.   
  
  


“It will be okay.” Seungcheol reassures him, brushing a strand of hair from Jeonghan's forehead. “They got us.”   
  


  
“But...” Jeonghan tries to argue, colour slowly draining from his face. “She's... what if something goes wrong?”

A happy squeal from the corner of the room draws their attention to the playing children. As soon as Byeol notices that she's being watched, she toddles towards them, steps unsteady but determined. In a safe distance, but close enough to catch her if she stumbles, Jaewoo follows, watching his sister with so much affection that Seungcheol wants to hug him close.   
  


  
“Abba!” Byeol loudly exclaims, hugging Jeonghan's knees as she almost tumbles to the floor.   
  


  
Laughing Jeonghan picks her up, settling her into his lap. Her bright smile seems to ease Jeonghan's worries faster than Seungcheol's words ever could.

“How are you holding up?” Seungcheol asks Jaewoo, opening his arms to let the boy climb into his lap. It takes a few moments for Jaewoo to decide that, yes, he'd like to be on his father's lap, before he crawls into Seungcheol's lap, leaning heavily against him. “Scared?”

  
“No.” Jaewoo shakes his head. It's almost time for a haircut again, Seungcheol notes absentmindedly, running a hand through Jaewoo's soft hair. “I'm okay.”   


“You're so brave.” Seungcheol tells him, and Jaewoo gives him a pleased smile. “When we're done, we should get some ice cream. Sounds good?”

“Yes!” Jaewoo cheers. Besides them Jeonghan finally cracks a smile. “Can I have chocolate?”   


“Of course.”

“Ice!” It always amazes Seungcheol how selective Byeol's vocabulary is, and how perfect her pronunciation can be once she wants something.

“Ice cream it is.” Seungcheol says, glad that everyone is happy for the moment.

  
  


Naturally, that doesn't last long. The nurse comes back, announcing that they're up, and Jeonghan's mouth opens. Seungcheol can already see the questions falling from his mouth, so he gets up, carefully carrying Jaewoo with him to the door.

  
“Hello Jaewoo, hello Byeol.” The doctor greets them as they enter the bright examination room. “You've grown so much.”

Mumbling a greeting, Jaewoo presses his face against Seuncheol's neck. Byeol on the other hand, bounces in Jeonghan's arms, excitedly babbling at doctor Im.

She nods at Seungcheol and Jeonghan, motioning for them to sit down. Picking up the charts from her desk, she quickly scans them and nods to herself.

  
“You're getting your first shots today, Byeol. Are you excited?” Miss Im asks with a bright smile. Next to to him Jeonghan tenses, and Seungcheol quickly gives him a reassuring smile. “And Jaewoo... a little refresh shot.”

“Are...is...” Jeonghan's voice is unnaturally soft and breathy.

The doctor has probably dealt with her fair share of nervous parents, so she sends Jeonghan a calming smile, and crouches down in front of him to look at Byeol

“It's going to be fine. A little pinch and done.” She says, tickling Byeol's chin and grins when Byeol giggles and squirms in response. “And then you'll get a cute bandaid and a lolli.”

“Can I go first?” Jaewoo asks, peeking at Miss Im, but still plastered to Seungcheol. “So Byeollie can see that it's not bad."

Seungcheol is so, so very proud to hear his son talk to doctor Im without coaxing. He's come so far, talking to her without being prompted, not becoming completely silent when spoken to. It's a huge milestone. Judging by the surprised and slightly misty look on the doctor's face, she feels the same way.

His lovely husband seems to share her sentiment, usually being the one who takes Jaewoo to his appointments and staying with him. Seungcheol can see him swallowing and blinking rapidly a few times.

“Of course. Do you want to sit on the table or your appa's lap?”

The smile on Miss Im's face is bright, not dimming even for a moment, when Jaewoo presses his face against Seungcheol's neck again. Neither of them want to push Jaewoo, quietly waiting for him to gather his courage.

“Appa, please.” Jaewoo mumbles, and Seungcheol smiles, stroking Jaewoo's back.

“Okay.” Miss Im chirps, puttering around her desk and the counters. When she returns with a syringe in her hands, all colour drains from Jeonghan's face. Needless to say that Jeonghan isn't fond of needles, never has been and never will be, but for his children he can bear them. Crouching down in front of Jaewoo doctor Im holds up a small vial. “Do you remember what I told you? This goes into your body and protects you, so that you don't get any nasty viruses."

Nodding, Jaewoo holds out his arm, watching as the doctor pulls up his sleeve and applies some cooling spray.

“Do you want the car bandaid?” Miss Im asks, looking at Jaewoo and carefully patting down the sprayed area with a wad of cotton. When Jaewoo nods, she gently presses the syringe into Jaewoo's arm. Byeol watches in rapt fascination as she injects the vaccine. “There we go! You're such a brave boy.”

At the praise, Jaewoo turns red and buries his face against Seungcheol's neck, wrapping his arms around him.

  
Next to them Jeonghan nervously rubs his fingers along Byeol's arm, gaze flickering between Jaewoo's arm and where he is hiding.

“Would you mind sitting on the table with her?” The doctor asks Jeonghan. “She's still small and I'd like to get the best angle.”

“Sure.” But Jeonghan seems anything but sure when he climbs onto the table, their daughter held tightly in his arms. The pallor of his face is scaring Seungcheol and he is tempted to ask Jeonghan to trade places with him. As if sensing his thoughts, Jeonghan shoots him a look.

Miss Im starts making faces at Byeol as she pulls up her sleeve, drawing delighted giggles from their daughter. She doesn't flinch when the doctor applies the cooling spray or when she shows her the syringe. Her lip wobbles just the tiniest bit when doctor Im injects the vaccine. Everything is fine until Miss Im pulls the syringe out of Byeol's arm. Maybe the little whimper that Byeol lets out that does it, or maybe the syringe is too close to Jeonghan's own arm. Seungcheol doesn't know. He just watches in sudden horror as Jeonghan sways, pushing Byeol into doctor Im's arms before toppling over and falling off the table.   
  


For a split second time is frozen. Then doctor Im jumps into motion. With practiced ease she hands Byeol to Seungcheol as she calls for the nurse, then crouches down next to Jeonghan.

“Jeonghan?” Seungcheol's voice sounds strange in his own ears. Jaewoo and Byeol sit on his lap, stiff and quiet, looking at Jeonghan. “Babe?”

The nurse from before enters the room, quickly taking in the situation and ushering Seungcheol and the children outside.

The second the door shuts behind them Jaewoo begins to cry. Loud, heartbreaking sobs. Byeol doesn't understand what just happened, blinking at her brother, before realizing that he's crying. Seungcheol fears that she's going to cry too, but once again Byeol impresses him with her resilience and happy attitude. Rocking to the side, she bumps into Jaewoo, awkwardly holding on to him.

“Woowoo,” she chirps, patting his face. “Woowoo.”   


Hearing her voice, Jaewoo turns to look at her. He stares at her for a heartbeat, before wrapping her in his arms, leaving Seungcheol to juggle both children in his arms. He should probably say something, shush them, but it takes him forever to grasp the situation. Only when Jaewoo pitifully sobs out his name does he snap back to reality, and starts carefully rocking them and whispering reassurances that everything will be alright, even if it feels like it won't be.   
  


After what feels like eternity the door opens and the nurse steps out.

“He's okay.” She tells them. “A bad mixture of nerves and low blood sugar. He hit his head, but it doesn't appear to be anything serious.”

“Really? He's okay?” Seungcheol whispers, holding both children a little bit tighter. Of course Jeonghan would be okay, he reasons, but a small part of him had been frozen in fear.

“Yes. Come on in.” The nurse says, leading them back inside.

Jeonghan is laying on the floor, legs raised and a pillow pushed beneath them. He looks like death warmed over.

“Hey Hannie.” Seungcheol greets him, setting the children down next to his husband. “How are you feeling?”

“Exhausted. Fuzzy.” Jeonghan murmurs, reaching out to pull Jaewoo and Byeol against his chest. “'m sorry for scaring you.”

“Are you really okay now, Appa?” Jaewoo asks, small fingers wrapping around Jeonghan's. “You're... you're going to stay with us, right?”

“Absolutely.” Doctor Im says, walking up to them with a syringe in her hand. “Would you please cover his eyes?”

It takes Seungcheol a ridiculous amount of time to figure out that she wants him to cover Jeonghan's eyes, so that he won't have to look at the syringe.   


“Hey babe.” He says as he crouches down next to Jeonghan's head, and gently places a hand over Jeonghan's eyes. “It's going to be fine.”

“I know.” Jeonghan replies, tensing when the syringe breaks his skin. “Cheollie...”

Stroking Jeonghan's hair with his other hand, he waits for doctor Im to finish. When she's done, she lets Jeonghan sit up a bit. Trembling and pale, he tries to rise only to sink back on shaky arms.

“I know I'm a pediatrician,” Doctor Im says and gives Jeonghan a very stern look. “But I know that adults need food to live.”

“I...” Jeonghan rubs a hand over his face. “I know... I was nervous and not hungry and I didn't feel like eating. Besides it's not like I do it all the time. I'd have eaten something later. It's not a big deal.”

“Hannie.” Seungcheol interrupts his rambling. “It's okay.”

“I expect you to eat and rest.” Doctor Im harrumphs. “Don't you dare to come back to my practice like that again or you will be given lollipops.... speaking of which.”

As if on cue the nurse walks back inside, carrying several colourful lollipops. Both Jaewoo and Byeol cheer up immediately, greedily sucking on the sugary treats that will send them into an awful sugar high later.

Normally Jeonghan would step in, but one look from doctor Im is enough to shut him up.

“Go home.” She tells them. “Rest. And if your kids show any adverse reactions to the vaccine, please come back immediately.”

  
  


Somehow Seungcheol manages the feat of bringing his sugar high kids and his exhausted husband home without any problems. After promises and reassurances during the ride back, the children descend upon the house like a hurricane and Seungcheol only watches as they disappear into their room.

“I'm sorry.” Jeonghan whispers, leaning heavily against him. “I messed up so bad.”

“No you didn't.” Seungcheol says, pressing a kiss against Jeonghan's cheek. “You wanted to be there for them. And I get that.”

“But what if they're traumatized now?” Jeonghan asks, looking at Seungcheol with the biggest, saddest eyes, and Seungcheol turns into putty. “What if Byeol is scared of shots now?”

“Hannie, it was an accident.” Seungcheol says. “The kids are alright. Both of them will only remember the sheer amount of lollipops they were given and that's it.”

Inside the kids' room something crashes and Jeonghan heaves an exhausted sigh.

“You're probably right.”

There's another crash and something that sounds suspiciously like Byeol's war cry.

“Let’s not do that again, yeah?”

Pulling Seungcheol into a kiss, Jeonghan wraps his arms around him, resting almost all of his weight against Seungcheol.

“Yeah.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all I got for now. But I'll probably update every now and then, if I can think of something cute ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And that's how the tradition of decorating together started

Under normal circumstances Jeonghan would abhor the idea of someone handling his mother's filigrane Christmas ornaments, but desperate times call for desperate measures. At least he can rely on Wonwoo and Minghao treating the ornaments with utmost care, while Mingyu with his buttery fingers has been banished into the kitchen – and he had gone with the biggest pout, venting his resentment on the batter that Seungcheol made the night before and will most likely be refined by Mingyu's talented hands.

A sneeze escapes him then a cough, and instantly Jun appears by his side, holding a strong smelling herbal tea and pushing it into his hands.

“Thank you.” Jeonghan says. Even with his stuffed nose he can smell the tea. It's less than pleasant, but Jun swore up and down that this tea always helps with his colds. He takes a sip, feeling the hot liquid slide down his sore throat. The taste is far from what he normally likes, but it's soothing.

“You should sit down.” Jun tells him, tugging him towards the couch where Seungcheol and Byeol are sitting. Jaewoo keeps rushing between the kitchen and the living room, not wanting to miss out on Mingyu making cookies, but also wanting to help decorate the tree. Come bedtime he'll be completely exhausted and hopefully won't wake them up at five am to check if Santa visited.

Once he sits down, Seungcheol eagerly drapes a blanket over him. Byeol cheers and throws some popcorn at him, popcorn that Seungcheol had been trying to craft into a garland since it was supposed to be easy and safe. Jeonghan doesn't even want to think about the choking hazard that popcorn could be for their precious daughter, but so far her interest in popcorn has been limited to throwing it around and disrupting her father's hard work.

“How are you feeling?” Seungcheol asks. His own nose is still red, but his voice sounds better. “You look flushed. Are you running a fever?”

“I'm fine.” Jeonghan reassures him, reaching out with his free hand to smooth down Byeol's hair. The little bow that had been sitting on top of her head, slowly but steadily made its way to the side over the course of their preparations.

“Are you sure?”

Before Jeonghan can protest Seungcheol places his big hand against his forehead, so he closes his eyes, enjoying the contact. A tiny hand slaps against his cheek, and he opens his eyes to see Byeol mimicking Seungcheol with a serious look on her face.

“You're a bit warm.” Seungcheol says, pulling Byeol back onto his lap.

“I'm okay.” Jeonghan says, smiling when he sees his husband's brows come down in a frown. “Seungcheol, I have a cold. I'm not dying.”

“You should be resting.” Seungcheol mumbles, adjusting his grip on Byeol as she tries to steal more popcorn.

“Cheollie, I'm not even doing anything.”

The second Seungcheol turns his head to argue, Byeol's grubby fingers shoot forward tugging on the string of popcorn, sending it scattering to the floor. Absolutely delighted, Byeol claps her hands, bouncing in her father's lap, while Seungcheol looks at the mess on the floor. Setting the tea to the side, Jeonghan slides down to the floor, intent on picking popcorn up.

“Let me.” Jihoon says as he crouches down next to him. “Just sit on the couch.”

“What? Just look pretty and have everyone work for me?” Jeonghan quips, holding back a smile when Jihoon's ears turn red and his stare remains resolutely fixed on the popcorn.

“Hannie,” Seungcheol's hand closes around the back of his pullover, pulling him back up on the couch. “Please listen for once in your life.”

There are a million comebacks sitting on his tongue, not even half of them suitable for little ears. But the weary look on Seungcheol's face, and the almost guilty look on Jaewoo's, make him cave in. His little boy had been the source of the cold that knocked them down one by one, Jeonghan being the last in line. The timing had been miserable and even though all of the Christmas shopping had long been done, decorating the tree and living room had been the one thing that they had intended to do the week before Christmas. When Seungcheol recovered, the long dreaded cold finally hit Jeonghan, and Seungcheol made the executive decision to ask their friends for help, regardless of Jeonghan's stubborn insistence that he was fine.

“Hyung,” Chan stumbles into the room, holding various Christmas lights that have become a tangled mess some time between last Christmas and this Christmas. “Can you help me?”

Usually the question would be addressed to Jeonghan, and out of reflex he holds out his hands, but Hansol moves fast, taking the lights from Chan before Jeonghan even gets the chance to open his mouth.

“Want to help me, buddy?” Hansol asks Jaewoo, who has been staring at Wonwoo and Minghao work miracles on their tree. When he nods his head, Hansol and Jaewoo settle down in a corner, and Hansol patiently explains which part to pull and when.

There's a small thud outside when Soonyoung sets down one of several boxes worth of ornaments, and in all honesty, Jeonghan isn't even sure where they're going to put all of them, but he trusts Minghao's eye to decorate everything beautifully. Motioning for Soonyoung to bring the box to him, Jeonghan checks the label, then opens it and pulls out a box of garish bright plastic baubles.

“Jaewoo, when you and Hansol are done, do you want to hang some ornaments with Byeollie?” Jeonghan asks. Jaewoo lights up and nods enthusiastically, hands still buried inside the messy ball that makes up their Christmas lights. The fond look Hansol gives him warms Jeonghan's heart, and he admires the younger's calm and patience with which Hansol keeps Jaewoo company. “It can wait til your done with the lights. Byeollie still needs to help Appa make the garland.”

At the sounds of her name Byeol perks up, bouncing in Seungcheol's lap. For the last few minutes her attention had been solely on Jihoon and his task of gathering the popcorn, though more on the popcorn and less on Jihoon.

“Do you want to decorate the tree?” Seungcheol asks Byeol with a big grin. “We got special ornaments just for you kids.”

“Tee!” Byeol exclaims, waving her hands excitedly. Wiggling off Seungcheol's lap, she makes her way towards Minghao and Wonwoo. Her steps are still wobbly after the cold, but as always she's happy and determined. Everyone is watching her, all ready to swoop in should she stumble and fall, but she makes her way to the tree just fine and lets herself fall on her diapered butt. “Tee!”

“In a minute, darling.” Jeonghan says, ready to get up and help, but a glare from Seungcheol has him reaching for his tea. “Your uncles will help you, yeah?”

“Minoo-a!” Byeol crows, calling for Mingyu in the exact same tone that Jeonghan always uses and Mingyu comes rushing out of the kitchen, eyes bright and excited.

“What is it? Did my princess call for her favorite uncle?” Mingyu says, about to pick Byeol up but Wonwoo is faster, snatching her into his arms.

“Wash your hands.” Wonwoo tells him. “You're going to get dough all over her.”

“But she called me!” Mingyu whines. The look that Wonwoo shoots him is less than impressed. Complaining under his breath, Mingyu disappears into the kitchen and comes back out with squeaky clean hands. “Done! Gimme!”

“She's not a toy.” Wonwoo reminds him as he carefully hands Byeol over. As soon as she's in Mingyu's arms, Byeol wiggles happily, giving him a huge, sunny grin, and Jeonghan can see Mingyu melt. His daughter is going to be so spoiled.

“What do you mean by favourite uncle?” Soonyoung grouses, setting down another box. “You're not the favourite, I am! Right, Jaewoo? You love uncle Soonyoung, right?”

Jeonghan can already see the disaster that is about to happen. Jaewoo will be too scared of hurting anyone's feelings and clam up. Soonyoung means well, but sometimes he's too energetic for their shy son, even if he has gotten better with Jaewoo over time.

“Soonyoung,” Seungcheol interrupts. “Did you get the box with the window decoration?”

“The what now?” Soonyoung asks, and Jeonghan can see Jaewoo breathe easier, inching closer to Hansol until he raises his arm, letting Jaewoo lean against him.

“The little cardboard figures.” Seungcheol explains, getting up and checking the box. “Hannie usually pins them to the windows.”

“Let me check.”

Deeming Soonyoung suitably distracted, Seungcheol takes the still usable popcorn from Jihoon. A good portion of popcorn remained on the string during Byeol's little stunt, but there's still a fair amount of popcorn left that needs to be attached to the string. Perhaps they should add some cranberries and other little knick knacks. Just as he's about to suggest the idea to Seungcheol a loud yawn escapes him, and every eye turns to him.

“You should rest.” Joshua says, entering the room after having disappeared into the attic for a while. The box he's holding is unfamiliar to Jeonghan, but a quick peek in Seungcheol's direction tells him that Seungcheol most definitely knows it, judging by the guilty look on his face. “We've got this.”

“I'm not even doing anything.” Jeonghan protests, gesturing widely, showing that he's sitting down, draped in blankets and holding his tea. “I am resting.”

“If you say so.” Not that Joshua believes him; no, Jeonghan knows his best friend too well. “I'm going to set this up outside.”

“Set what up outside?”

“Nothing to worry about.” Seungcheol hastily intervenes, motioning for Joshua to go. “Just something I bought for the garden.”

A memory hits Jeonghan. Their last Christmas shopping trip when Seungcheol spent a lot of time in the outdoor section, staring at all kinds of Christmas setups, ranging from blow up snowmen to Christmas lights forming reindeers and a sled. Jeonghan had ushered the kids away before they could get a glimpse of them, hoping that Seungcheol would not submit to his poor Christmas impulses.

“Seungcheol,” There might be a bit of a warning in his voice, not enough to scare the kids, but enough to make his husband look at him in apprehension. “Did you go back and buy that snowman?”

“No?”

Watching Seungcheol squirm in his seat is answer enough. He can't even be mad at his husband when he sees how Jaewoo's eyes sparkle.

“We have a snowman?” Jaewoo asks, abandoning his half-finished task and clambering to the couch. “Appa, did you buy a snowman?”

“... yes.” Seungcheol admits, firmly avoiding Jeonghan's eyes. “It's a fake one, but uncle Joshua will set it up.”

“Can I watch?” Jaewoo asks. The Christmas lights and the ornaments are long forgotten.

“What about the lights?” Jeonghan replies. Not that he is against his son watching Joshua, but at the very least he should remember that he had a different task. “And the tree?”

“Can I go watch?” Jaewoo asks Hansol instead, bringing out his puppy eyes with full force and Hansol folds like wet paper.

“Go ahead.” Hansol tells him. “I'll take care of the lights. We can hang them up when you're back.”

“Byeollie and I got the ornaments.” Mingyu comments from where he's being handed plastic bauble after plastic bauble by Byeol. And Mingyu being his usual clumsy self drops one after the other. Luckily he didn't get his hands on Jeonghan's delicate ornaments or Jeonghan might have to cry a little on the inside.

“Make sure to wear your scarf and jacket.” Jeonghan reminds Jaewoo, watching as his little boy almost trips over his own feet in his eagerness to get outside and watch his uncles set up whatever display Seungcheol couldn't keep his hands off. As soon as Jaewoo is out of earshot, he turns to his husband who is currently trying to turn invisible.

“I love you?” Seungcheol tries. Someone snorts and Byeol drops another bauble. “You're the most amazing, the most beautiful, the loveliest husband of all times.”

“Why are you such a dork?” Jeonhan fake-grouses, leaning close to Seungcheol, letting him wrap his arm around his shoulders. “You could have just told me.”

“You glared at that snowman as if you were planning its demise.” Seungcheol mutters, pulling him even closer.

“I was.” Jeonghan mumbles, enjoying Seungcheol's body heat. “I think I'm going to fall asleep. Will you make sure to get the presents?”

“Of course.”

Soon he feels his body grow heavy. He watches Mingyu lift Byeol to place the plastic star on top of the tree, and Hansol finally untangles the Christmas lights. Jihoon and Soonyoung are muttering something in the corner, and Minghao and Wonwoo are quietly discussing where to place Seungcheol's garland. A hand brushes against his forehead and he can see Jun look at him fondly. Before his eyelids slide shut, he can hear Jaewoo rush inside, excitedly talking about the reindeer they set up. Strong arms pick him up and he blinks blearily at Joshua.

Leaving behind the commotion in the living room, Joshua carries him up the stairs and Jeonghan could swear he caught a glimpse of Seungkwan and Seokmin in the hallway before they enter the bedroom.

“Rest.” Joshua instructs him, making sure that Jeonghan is safely tucked in bed. “We got everything covered.”

Thanks, 'shuji.”

  
  


It's dawn when Jeonghan wakes up again. His joints ache and he knows he's running a fever.

It's also Christmas morning.

Dragging himself out of bed he notices that Seungcheol isn't in bed besides him. On quiet soles he goes to check the kids' room, almost convinced that they have to be awake. But instead of wide-awake excited kids, he finds his husband and their kids curled up on the floor and covered in blankets. A plastic bauble is clutched firmly in Byeol's hand. A bit of glitter is sticking to Jaewoo's face. And Seungcheol completes the trio with popcorn in his hair. Shuffling back to the bedroom, he picks up his phone and takes a picture, intent on sending it to the group chat later.

Tip toeing downstairs he makes his way into the kitchen first. On the counter are several containers of food, each labelled meticulously in Mingyu's handwriting. Next to the kettle sits Jun's tea, and as much as he disliked the taste, it did soothe his throat. So he makes himself a cup of tea, holding the hot cup in his hands, soaking up the warmth as he checks on the living room.

The tree is absolutely magnificent. The lower branches have been covered in plastic baubles at Byeol's height, and the higher ones, that can't be reached by curious toddler hands, are decorated in delicate ornaments, stars and even a bit of fake snow. Seungcheol's garland winds its way around the tree and the lights that Hansol so carefully untangled match the garland, but don't take the attention away from it. But what catches his eye are the myriad of presents under the tree. Seungcheol and he had gotten their fair share of gifts for the kids that they would get from Santa, but the many, many presents wrapped in different paper make him swallow hard. Picking up one of them, he checks the tag. From Soonyoung to Byeol. It's soft. No doubt it's going to be a plushie. The next one is from Wonwoo to Jaewoo. And another one from Mingyu to Byeol. One from Jun to Byeol. Minghao to Jaewoo.

No doubt they all bought gifts for each of the kids.

Blinking hard, he wipes away a few tears. He doesn't even know why he's crying. Perhaps the thoughtfulness and affection their friends have for their kids is too much for his sick body to handle.

Turning on the lights, Jeonghan sits down on the couch and watches the tree. The silence is precious and leaves him time to think about how lucky he is.

The silence doesn't last long. Only a few minutes after his tea is finished, the living room door flies open and Jaewoo and Byeol rush inside. A very dishevelled looking Seungcheol follows them, too tired to catch up with them.

“Appa! We got presents!” Jaewoo cheers. “Santa was here! Look!”

“Abba!” Byeol cries happily, making her way to Jeonghan and resting her head against his knees. “Abba ouchie?”

“Oh. I'm fine, Byeollie. Appa just has a bit off a cold.” Jeonghan says, stroking her soft hair. “Look, Santa brought you gifts.”

“Can we open them?” Jaewoo asks excitedly.

“Why don't we open them together?” Seungcheol suggests, sitting down next to their son. “I think your uncles also got you some presents.”

“We got presents from Santa and the uncles?” Jaewoo asks with wide eyes and glowing cheeks.

“You did.” Jeonghan tells him, picking up Byeol and making his way over to them. “Look, they left tags on them, so you can check which ones are from Santa and which ones from your uncles.”

Each gift is opened carefully. Jaewoo is still in disbelief at the amount of presents he has gotten. Byeol on the other hand is more in love with the wrapping paper than the actual presents until she opens Soonyoung's gift and finds a tiger plushie. Of course.

Each present is thoroughly examined and admired. Jaewoo eventually runs out of words to say and just clutches as many presents as he can to his chest.

“How are you feeling, baby?” Seungcheol asks, brushing Jaewoo's hair away from his forehead, having noticed the slightly wet eyes.

“'m happy.” Jaewoo whispers. “'s really nice. Can we- can we say thank you later?”

“Of course we can. Do you want to take some photos and make some thank you cards for your uncles?” Seungcheol asks. “Byeol is still too small, but I'm sure she wants to say thank you too.”

“Tank you!” Byeol chirps, waving her plushie in Jaewoo's face before toppling into his lap. “Tank you!”

“Yeah, we can make thank you cards, Byeollie.” Jaewoo says, pulling his sister into his lap. “Look, uncle Wonwoo got me a book. Do you want me to read it to you?”

The book is a picture book and Jeonghan watches as Jaewoo makes up a tale to entertain Byeol. Seungcheol takes picture after picture. When they're done they take pictures with each present so that they can add that to the thank you cards.

“Hey.” Seungcheol whispers, pressing a kiss against Jeonghan's forehead. “... you're running a fever.”

“I know.” Jeonghan says. “Let me have this, okay? It's Christmas. I'll rest tomorrow.”

For a second Seungcheol looks like he's going to argue, then his eyes turn soft and he pulls Jeonghan into his lap, wrapping him in a warm hug. Their children perform a small victory dance in front of the Christmas tree when they discover that Santa brought them matching sweaters just like they wanted.

“Tomorrow then.” Seungcheol says.

“Seungcheol?”

“Yeah?”

“Merry Christmas.”

  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

It's not that bad, he tells himself, prodding his belly. If one pair of pants doesn't fit anymore, that's fine. When the second pair doesn't fit either, he has to hold back a sigh. By the third pair he has to admit that maybe, just maybe, he indulged a little bit too much over Christmas and New Years.

So he does what comes naturally in this case: he blames Mingyu.

“Good morning.” Jeonghan's sleepy voice always makes his stomach do back flips. His cold hands sneaking under his shirt and squeezing his tummy, do not.

“Morning.” Seungcheol mumbles, holding still as Jeonghan leeches his body heat. “Slept well?”

A low hum and a kiss are the only reply he gets before Jeonghan detaches himself from him. Aimlessly he rummages around in their closet, pulling out a warm and oversized hoodie that Seungcheol vaguely recognizes as his, but hasn't worn it ever since Jeonghan got his greedy fingers on it.

Ever so slowly Jeonghan rises into wakefulness, gracing Seungcheol with one of his beautiful smiles.

“Morning.” Jeonghan greets him again, kissing him once more, though this time with intent.  
  


Seungcheol's stomach does the backflip thing again.  
  


“Good morning.” Seungcheol says, hands slipping under Jeonghan's pajama top – to help him change, of course. No other reason, not to feel his husband up while the kids are hopefully still asleep. Jeonghan seems just as eager to help him, pulling on the hem of his shirt.

Seungcheol prays that they can go for a quick romp in their warm bed.

And they could have, he knows, if Jeonghan's foot hadn't caught on one of his discarded pants, sending both of them tumbling to the floor.

For a split second they stare at each other, holding their breath.

“Appa?”  
  


Drawing Seungcheol into one last kiss, Jeonghan sighs, then gets up, skillfully dodging Seungcheol's messy pants pile and pulling on the hoodie in one move.  
  


“Appa will be right there, sweetheart.”

Grabbing his pants and tossing them into a corner, he reaches into a drawer and pulls out an old, ratty pair of sweatpants that shouldn't fit, but does. So it has come to this, he thinks, prodding his soft belly again. A dad bod. He's heard about it, but never thought it'd be him falling victim to that. How come Jeonghan didn't put on a single gram, he wonders.

Outside the door he hears laughter. Then Jaewoo bursts into the room, tackling his knees in a hug, almost making Seungcheol fall to the floor for a second time that morning.

  
“Appa! You have to help! Byeollie is making a gran- a grant- a grand escape!”

  
Raising an eyebrow, he looks at the wide grin on his son's face.

  
“An escape from what?” He asks, letting Jaewoo grab his hand and tug him out of the door.

  
“Abba!” A small, but fast figure yells, rushing past him, followed by Jeonghan chasing after their diaper-clad daughter.  
  


“Byeol, come back here.” He hears Jeonghan scold her, running past him.  
  


Their tiny daughter is surprisingly fast for her size and almost makes it to the stairs before Jeonghan manages to get a hold of her. She shrieks with laughter when he carefully tosses her into the air once, then twice, cheering when he blows a raspberry on her chubby tummy.

  
“You've been naughty.” Jeonghan says, and Byeol laughs in his face, bouncing in his arms. “I think naughty girls don't get milk with honey for breakfast.”  
  


“Nooo!”  
  


If Seungcheol hadn't been watching the scene, he'd have come running. But seeing the scene, watching his daughter scream bloody murder over some milk, made it difficult to hold back laughter instead.

“Byeollie,” Jeonghan says, gently holding her flailing arms. “If you get dressed like a good girl, then you can have milk with honey.”

  
“Yes!” Byeol wiggles in Jeonghan's arms, eager to be let down. The minute her feet touch the ground, she takes off running to the children's room. “Abba!”  
  


“Coming.” Jeonghan calls after her, stopping to tousle Jaewoo's hair. “Why don't you go ahead and prepare breakfast?”  
  


At the mention of breakfast his traitorous stomach growls.  
  


“Can I have cookies?” Jaewoo asks, the picture of perfect innocence, as if he hadn't just suggested something blasphemous.  
  


“Not for breakfast.” Seungcheol says, holding him as they make their way down the stairs.

Their fridge is still well-stocked, he notes, picking some eggs and milk. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Jaewoo's hand sneakily reach for the cookies, and really, he should say something, but he doesn't have the heart to. The cookie jar is nearly empty anyway, and it'll hopefully take a while before Mingyu restocks it.

Grabbing two bowls from the cabinet, he fills them with cereal, keeping his back to Jaewoo until the chewing sounds stop. Only then does he turn around, and guilt is written plain as day on Jaewoo's face.

  
“Can you get some oranges?” Seungcheol asks, and Jaewoo takes off to the living room, where the last few oranges are resting in a bowl. While his son is away, he starts boiling some water, adding the eggs once it is hot enough. Jeonghan will only want a yogurt, stomach not fully functioning yet, and Byeol will be happy with a bit of orange and egg. Jaewoo on the other hand has started to wolf down everything in his vicinity. It's only a matter of time until he hits his next growth spurt.

  
“Abba!” Byeol greets him when she enters the kitchen, this time on her own feet and fully dressed. “Mamama!”  
  


“No bananas. We're having oranges today.” Seungcheol tells her as Jeonghan picks her up and places her in her high chair.  
  


“Mamama!” Byeol complains, face scrunching up and turning red.  
  


“No.” Jeonghan says firmly. The temper tantrum seems unavoidable until Jaewoo comes back into the room, balancing three oranges in his hands. “Look, oranges.”  
  


“Woowoo!” Byeol chimes, waving at her brother, temper tantrum instantly forgotten. “Woowoo!”  
  


“Byeollie.” Quickly placing the oranges on the table, Jaewoo rushes to Byeol's side. “You look so cute.”  
  


And Seungcheol has to agree. Jeonghan must have compromised, and instead of dressing her properly, allowed her to wear her dino onesie that she got from Chan. The tail bounces along with Byeollie's happy wiggles.

  
“Alright, everyone sit down.” Seungcheol says, passing everyone their breakfast.  
  


He's been very careful with his own breakfast, making sure to eat healthy, and Jeonghan must have noticed, looking at him thoughtfully. But he doesn't say anything, focusing on feeding Byeol, and eating his yogurt.

When breakfast is done and the kids have been sent to wash their faces, Seungcheol starts loading up the dishwasher until Jeonghan hugs him from behind.  
  


“What's wrong?” He asks, and Seungcheol isn't sure if he wants to die of embarrassment or if he wants to melt in the face of Jeonghan's concern. “Are you not feeling well?”

  
“I'm fine.” He says, trying to go back to loading up the dishwasher, but Jeonghan doesn't let go.  
  


“Don't lie to me.”  
  


And Seungcheol turns in to putty.  
  


“It's nothing serious.” He promises. “I'd tell you, I swear.”  
  


There's a minute of silence, he can feel Jeonghan sigh against his back.  
  


“Fine.” Jeonghan concedes, uncharacteristically lenient. “But you are going to tell me if it's serious.”

  
And everything is fine.

It is until he's playing with the kids and his shirt rides up. Instantly Byeol launches onto him and presses a raspberry to his belly. Jaewoo happily joins in, and Seungcheol is subjected to the worst form of tickle torture possible. It's fine, except his belly is slightly pudgy, and Seungcheol watches with burning envy as his husband picks up their kids, lifting them high and exposing his own, completely flat belly.

Pinching his soft belly, he curses Mingyu and grabs his phone to lament to Joshua.

After snickering for a few minutes – and pointing out that Seungcheol didn't have to eat all those delicious Christmas cookies – Joshua offers to take him with him on his morning runs and to have Mingyu go to the gym with him after work. Mentally bidding the last of his free time farewell, he agrees.

If Jeonghan noticed his absence, he doesn't say anything, still playing with their kids.

  
  


In the evening, when their little whirlwinds are tucked safely into bed, and they might have some time to themselves, Jeonghan curls up, resting his head on the pillow and staring at Seungcheol with unreadable eyes.

“The kids are asleep.”  
  


“Yep.”

They stare at each other for a second, praying that no accidents or nightmares interrupt them. Seungcheol extends his hand, and Jeonghan slips into his arms. This would be the perfect time. Absolutely.

Within seconds they are fast asleep.

  
  


His calves ache with every step. The freezing air burns in his lungs. He's so hot that he just wants to chuck off his jacket, but too sweaty to seriously consider the thought. Jeonghan would never forgive him if he caught another cold.

A few paces ahead of him Joshua turns around; his wide, cheerful grin does nothing to hide the underlying sadism. Wheezing and gasping for air, he resolves not to give Joshua the satisfaction of asking for a break; pushing forward with burning muscles. As soon as he catches up to Joshua, he gives him a thumbs up and increases the speed.

Cursing Mingyu and his cookies, Seungcheol drags his body behind, thinking of the pants he can't fit into anymore.

When they come to a stop at Joshua's apartment, Seungcheol is sweaty, aching, and bone-tired. The protein shake Joshua hands him tastes awful, but Seungcheol is so thirsty and in desperate need of nutrients that he chugs the entire smoothie down in one go, despite the horrible taste.

  
“That was nice.” Joshua says, ignoring the deathglare Seungcheol shoots him. “We can try a different route tomorrow. Maybe a bit longer.”  
  


“Not fair.” Seungcheol whines. “Why am I the only one who got chubby over the holidays? Jeonghan didn't gain a single ounce.”  
  


“First of all, you're not chubby.” Joshua says sternly. “Second, Jeonghan doesn't count, he repels calories. Third, Soonyoung's been complaining to anyone who'll listen that his cheeks have gotten squishier.”

  
“Have they?” Seungcheol asks, excited at the prospect of not being the only one suffering.

  
“A little bit.” Joshua tells him. “He'll be joining us on our morning runs.”

  
Great. Two people running ahead of him instead of just one witnessing his humiliation.

  
“Mingyu will pick you up around eight.” Joshua continues, oblivious to Seungcheol's suffering. “I told Han that I'll come over for a movie, so you can stay as long as you want.”

  
“Yay.” Seungcheol cheers with less enthusiasm than Byeol when faced with bath time, wishing that he had stayed away from the cookies.

Around eight the doorbell rings, startling his sleepy children wide-awake again. Mingyu is more than happy to help settle them back into bed, if only to escape Jeonghan's sharp tongue.

  
  


The personal trainer Mingyu has hired takes one look at him and tells him that he'll have him whipped into shape in no time. As Seungcheol feared getting back into shape includes a lot of weights, painful exercises, and a ton of sweat.

The only upside is that he can watch Mingyu suffer as the trainer forces him through grueling exercises.

He feels mildly vindicated.

His everything aches when he crawls into bed with Jeonghan. A hot shower alleviated the worst pains, but the soreness refuses to let up.

Taking one look at him, Jeonghan gently nudges him onto his belly; his clever fingers finding Seungcheol's sores with ease.

  
“You look exhausted.” Jeonghan says, loosening Seungcheol's miserable muscles one by one. “Don't work too hard.”

  
“I won't.” Seungcheol mutters into the pillow, trying his best not to fall asleep.

  
But no matter how hard he tries, Jeonghan's fingers are too talented, and he's too exhausted to stay awake. The last thing he feels is Jeonghan curling up against him, pressing a kiss against his forehead.

  
  


The next morning not even kisses and cuddles can calm the rising sense of dread. It's only 7 am, but Joshua with his pitch black soul will pick him up by 8 am latest. His children give him another ten minutes to soak up his daily dose of morning affection before they open the door and crawl into bed with them.

That leaves him with less than an hour to have breakfast, get dressed, and play with his kids. He takes one look at the pants tossed carelessly into a corner to remember why he agreed to this.

At eight on the dot Joshua picks him up, bright and eager, and Seungcheol suspects that Joshua feeds on his pain.

His kids don't seem to care that their uncle is the devil and make him promise to go sledding on the weekend. With one last goodbye he follows Joshua to pick up Soonyoung; at least the jog to his house is relatively short. But adding Soonyoung to the mix is definitely not helpful, Seungcheol realizes very soon after Soonyoung joins them. His boundless energy leads to a much faster pace and an even longer route.

The only bright spot is that upon his return the best husband in the world feeds him fruits while Jaewoo and Byeol take turns reenacting what happened while he was gone.

In the evening Mingyu meets him for another round of torture. By the time he tumbles into bed, he is out of words to describe how exhausted he is. He wants to complain so, so bad, but Jeonghan's clever fingers only serve to make him fall asleep even faster.

  
  


They quickly fall into a routine. And as much as Seungcheol despises the morning runs, the workout sessions with Mingyu are rather satisfying. He might have even forgiven Mingyu for the cookies. Maybe.

Once his vacation will be over, he'll only go on a run twice per week, but still go to the workout three times, Seungcheol decides after a workout when he looks into the mirror and sees the muscles on his arms bulge when he moves. His pants finally fit again, and he has been proudly showing them off, but his arms have never been this big before; and he might have to admit that he has become a little bit vain, liking how strong he looks.

The only downside is that he has to wade through the crowds of people trying to return Christmas presents when he needs to buy new pullover and shirts. The black turtlenecks are his favorite, displaying his arms and pecs without even trying. A few sleeveless shirts also find their way into his collection.

While he's already there he decides to brave the masses and check the remaining ugly Christmas sweaters on sale. Jaewoo had fallen in love with the ugly sweaters that they had received from Seungkwan as a joke - much to Jeonghan's chagrin. Luckily he actually finds a few sweaters in Jaewoo's size, though none for Byeol, so he picks a reindeer onesie with glowing antlers. Jeonghan will never be able to say no to his impulse purchase when he sees how cute their kids are.

  
  


“Abba!” Byeol greets him cheerfully, hugging his leg. Then she catches sight of the bags in his hands and immediately makes grabby hands. “Abbaba!”

  
“These are Appa's.” Seungcheol explains to her, pulling the bag out of reach. “But you can help Appa sort unpack them, okay?”

  
“Aye aye.”  
  


Seungcheol still doesn't know where she picked it up, but the words accompanied by the tiny salute always make him want to smother his daughter in kisses.

  
“Hello Appa.” Jaewoo's greeting is much quieter, almost subdued. His eyes are red and a few tear tracks are visible on his face. “Did you have fun?”

  
Swallowing down his questions, he bends down to give his son a hug.

  
  
“I did.” Seungcheol says. “I got you something.”  
  


“You did?” Jaewoo perks up. Byeol toddles next to him, holding out her arms to be picked up. Slowly he pulls both children into his arms and stands up. They used to feel heavier, Seungcheol notes, and with a small hint of pride realizes that his weight lifting has paid off.  
  


“I did.” Seungcheol says as he enters the bedroom and sets the kids down on the bed. “Want to see?”  
  


Whatever happened is soon forgotten when Jaewoo discovers the sweaters. Once he sees Byeol in her reindeer onesie, antlers blinking brightly, he puts on his own reindeer sweater. It's so adorable that he has to take a few photos.

  
“Well, look at my little reindeers.” Jeonghan says when he enters the bedroom. “You're so cute I could just eat you up.”

  
“Noo!” Byeol shrieks, throwing her arms in the air and taking off. Jaewoo takes one look at Jeonghan, then follows his sister, laughing all the way. Shooting him a look, Jeonghan runs after his children, making exaggerated growling noises.

  
If Jeonghan is angry at him for his impulse shopping, even though he promised Jeonghan he'd be restraining himself after all the garden decorations that he bought, he doesn't show it. When he enters the living room wearing his new shirt, Jeonghan musters him.

  
“Hey Hannie.” Seungcheol says, sidling up to him. “I'm sorry I went shopping without you.”

  
“I'm not mad.” Jeonghan tells him, fiddling with his phone in his hand. “The kids look adorable. And the turtleneck looks good on you.”

  
“You think so?” Seungcheol's ego might inflate the tiniest bit.

  
“Yeah. It suits you.” Jeonghan says, keeping his eyes glued on his phone.  
  


Something is off, but Seungcheol can't tell what it is. Jeonghan isn't upset, but he's still carefully avoiding looking at Seungcheol.  
  


“Is everything okay?” Seungcheol asks, tugging on Jeonghan's arm. “You seem distracted.”

  
“I'm fine.” Jeonghan insists, finally looking at Seungcheol. “There's nothing to be worried about.”

  
“If you say so.”

It's clear as day that Jeonghan is lying.

And it takes Seungcheol a ridiculously long time to figure out why. He notices that Jeonghan is distracted, will bump into things, drop stuff, and act so clumsy that Seungcheol is worried that Jeonghan is coming down with something. Every time he goes to help Jeonghan it only gets worse.  
  


“Babe, maybe you should see a doctor.” Seungcheol says. Their kids are building a blanket fortress in the living room under Jeonghan's supervision. “You're all bruised. Your hip looked like you got attacked.”  
  


Earlier this morning when they were in the bathroom he'd been horrified to see all those black and blue bruises littering his husband's body. Every single one was from his recent clumsiness; something that Seungcheol never thought he would say.  
  


“It's fine.” Jeonghan insists. “Jaewoo, you need more pillows. Byeollie, that's too high up. Let me help you.”  
  


Before Jeonghan can get another bruise, Seungcheol steps in, picking Byeol up with one arm and the edge of the blanket in the other. When it's safely tucked in and stable, he sets her down, turns around, and freezes. Jeonghan's eyes are almost glassy, and Seungcheol is downright scared for a second before he moves his arm, and Jeonghan's eyes follow like a moth drawn to the light.

Oh, Seungcheol thinks, no way. As subtle as he can be, which is not very much if he had to be honest, he flexes his arm, watching Jeonghan's reaction. He can see his Adam's apple bob.

  
“Hannie,” Seungcheol hums, pulling his husband in a hug. “Love, do you like my muscles?”

  
“What?” Jeonghan replies, snapping out of his daze.

  
Wiggling his eyebrows he flexes for Jeonghan, grinning at the way Jeonghan's eyes go wide.  
  


“You like it!” Seungcheol triumphs. “You like my muscles.”  
  


“Of course I do.” Jeonghan says, a dark red blush colouring his cheeks. “They suit you.”  
  


Their conversation is interrupted by Byeol's war cry. Unsurprisingly their daughter has decided to pull on one of the blankets, causing the blanket to fall onto her. Instead of just pushing it away, Byeol swings her tiny fists, fighting the blanket. Jaewoo is standing close to her, torn between laughter and wanting to help his sister.  
  


“Byeol, wait! Hold still, darling.” And just like that the moment is broken.

  
  


When the kids are safely tucked in bed and asleep, Seungcheol takes a long hot shower in the bathroom adjoined to their bedroom. Jeonghan had his nose buried in a book when he excused himself.

That won't do. Checking himself out in the mirror after he towels off, he flexes his muscles a bit.

He looks good. He really does. The Seungcheol in the mirror looks confident, strong. Sexy.

Wrapping the towel around his waist, he exits the bathroom, wandering over to their bed.  
  


“Hannie.” Seungcheol says, grabbing the book from his hands. “Hannie, look at me.”  
  


“What?” Jeonghan asks, taking in his almost naked form, eyes lingering on his biceps.  
  


“The kids are asleep, Hannie.” Seungcheol says, crawling onto the bed, hovering over Jeonghan.  
  


“And?”  
  


“I can easily lift you against the wall.” Seungcheol grins, watching realization spread over Jeonghan's face.  
  


“You can?” Jeonghan asks, biting his lip as his hands trail their way up Seungcheol's arms to wrap around his neck.  
  


“Absolutely.” Seungcheol says, wrapping one arm around Jeonghan's waist and sitting up, pulling him into his lap in one fluid move.  
  


“Show me.”

  
  


The next morning Seungcheol wakes up to Jeonghan carefully mapping his biceps with his lips.  
  


“Y'love m'muscles.” Seungcheol mutters half-awake, satisfaction sitting deep in his gut.  
  


“Absolutely. They've been driving me insane for weeks.”  
  


“Knew it.” Not quite the truth, but Jeonghan will never know.

  
  
  
  
  



	5. Chapter 5

A strand of hair tickles his nose. More asleep than awake, he brushes it away and turns around to snuggle into the arms of his husband. Instead of allowing him his time to cuddle, Seungcheol pulls away.

“Why?” Jeonghan whines, scooting over to Seungcheol's side of the bed. “'s cold.”

“It's time for my morning run.” Seungcheol tells him, leaning over him to place a sweet kiss on his brow. “Stay in bed. It's only 5 am.”

“Why so early?” Jeonghan wants to know, lying limp in Seungcheol's spot, lamenting the lack of husband.

“We want to try out the long route.” Seungcheol says from where he's regrettably getting dressed. “I told you about it, remember?”

A minuscule part of his brain remembers. The much larger part is yelling at him for being unable to open his eyes to watch Seungcheol get changed.

"'k bye.” is all he manages to say, listening to Seungcheol's chuckle. His lovely, strong, magnificent husband pulls the covers up to tuck him in perfectly, leaving no open spot for the cold to attack Jeonghan's body. “Love you.”

“I love you too. See you later.”

It's blissfully warm and cozy for a while. Sleep catches hold of him and he gives in to a second round of sleep. Not even the sound of the tiny pitter-patter of feet on the wooden floor can wake him. Only when small fingers start tugging on his arm and pulling his eyelids open, does he actually wake up.

“Good morning, appa.”

Sleep-tousled Jaewoo is one of Jeonghan's favorite Jaewoo's; tired, open and very affectionate. Not even waiting for his response, Jaewoo wedges himself between his arms, resting his head against Jeonghan's neck. His hair is so soft, his little puffs of breath hit Jeonghan's neck, and a big yawn leaves Jaewoo's mouth. The baby monitor sits innocently on the nightstand, and a niggling voice in the back of Jeonghan's head tells him that one of these days Byeol is going to figure out how to be so sneaky that she won't get caught.

“Good morning, baby. Did you sleep well?”

The nod against his neck goes almost unnoticed as Jaewoo goes lax in his arms. Gently, Jeonghan strokes his back, eyeing the alarm clock. It's still early and Seungcheol won't be back for at least another hour – and if he's really lucky, Byeol might sleep until Seungcheol's return.  
Perhaps he could prepare breakfast, but Jaewoo is quickly falling asleep in his arms, so Jeonghan decides that snuggles are of utmost importance and breakfast can wait.

The next time he wakes up, a large hand gently strokes his hair, murmuring words in a low voice. When Jaewoo starts to wiggle in his arms, Jeonghan opens his eyes, staring blearily at his sweaty, grinning husband. Byeol cheers from where she is seated in Seungcheol's arms.

“Good morning.” Seungcheol croons, leaning in for a kiss. “I brought breakfast.”

As promising as it sounds, it still takes a lot of effort and coordination to leave the bed. The sweet smell of very sugary coffee is what gets him moving eventually, Jaewoo clinging to him like a limpet. Somehow he makes it into the kitchen. The table is set, breakfast is ready, and Seungcheol apparently found the time to get changed. The turtleneck is rather tight and when Seungcheol puts Byeol into her chair with one arm, his biceps bulges – and Jeonghan's hip bangs against the counter.  
The smug, dimpled grin Seungcheol shoots him tells him all he needs to know. Clearly, Seungcheol is high on the power his muscles have given him. They're very nice muscles, big and sturdy. They let Seungcheol do all kinds of things that lead to Jeonghan being pleasantly sore.

But that won't do. The power is going to Seungcheol's head and Jeonghan won't have it. No matter how good he looks holding their kids in his arms or how nicely he holds Jeonghan down. No, he is not giving his husband that kind of power.

“Are you okay? You seem distracted.” Seungcheol notes, drinking that disgusting protein shake, barely hiding his smirk.

“Yeah. Just tired.” He replies.

A plastic cup clatters to the floor. Sighing, he bends down to pick it up. Byeol doesn't even look remotely guilty when he places the cup in front of her.

“If you say so.” Says that smug bastard husband of his.

The afternoon finds him tucked away in the study under the guise of replying to his students. The various websites he has open have nothing to do with that however.  
Skipping all those ridiculous “10 Things that make him go crazy” articles, he ends up in a forum but it quickly becomes clear that it's not for him. Closing the forum, he sighs, brushing his hair behind his ears. He contemplates calling Joshua, but decides against it. Seungcheol wouldn't know what hit him, if he did. He mindlessly scrolls through a few sites and pauses. There's an advertisement for parent-child yoga. Seungcheol has always loved his flexibility. A more thorough search shows that they have a center nearby.

A chance to take back control and spend time with his children sounds excellent to him.

The lady on the phone is incredibly nice and understanding when he tells her about Jaewoo. She tells him that they also offer online classes, but Jeonghan wants to at least try going to the center. Perhaps Jaewoo will make some friends there. As long as the other participants don't overwhelm him, everything should be fine.

“What are you up to?” Seungcheol asks after they've put the children to bed. His big hands settle on Jeonghan's hips, pulling him closer. Holding back a grin, Jeonghan turns around. Swiftly, he pulls his hair into a bun and sinks to his knees, shooting Seungcheol a playful grin. “Oh! Okay...”

Tuesday arrives much faster than he expected, but the kids are over the moon at the thought of doing sports together – and Seungcheol is more than happy to catch up on his drama. His poor, unsuspecting husband is going to cry crocodile tears when he catches up to where Jeonghan is. But this time Jeonghan won't be around to console him – and he absolutely would feel bad about it, if not for the toddler bouncing in his arms, wildly flailing her little arms very close to his face.

“It's a pleasure to meet you.” The nice receptionist chatters. His light brown hair falls over his forehead and laugh lines appear when he gives Jeonghan a once over. His friendly demeanor seems to put Jaewoo at ease. He continues to explain things in great detail and promises that the kids are welcome to use the jungle gym if they don't want to do yoga anymore – and reassures Jeonghan that the jungle gym is supervised at all times.

Their yoga teacher is a petite lady that radiates authority. When he introduces himself and mentions his husband she shoots a death glare at a father pulling a disgusted face and says that she will definitely be bringing her wife next time. The look on the man's face is priceless.

He likes her already.

The lesson itself is not too difficult, at least not for Jeonghan. They practice some basic poses, and Jeonghan already knows that he is going to try the downward facing dog at home. The children greatly enjoy themselves. As he expected Byeol doesn't last very long, rushing around the room, playing with other children and eventually heading to the jungle gym after she almost trips up their teacher. Not that the teacher minds, Byeol gives her one huge grin and wins her over. His little charmer. Jaewoo on the other hand is surprisingly serious about the entire thing. Every pose is met with utmost concentration and Jeonghan is impressed by how well he is doing. His balance is not great, but he's improving rapidly. By the end of the class, he doesn't wobble anymore, and his wide, proud grin has Jeonghan smiling back, forgetting his ulterior motives.

“You're pretty good.” The teacher remarks as she approaches them, taking note of Jaewoo hiding behind Jeonghan's legs. “Have you done yoga before?”

“No. I'm just flexible.” He says.

“I see.” Mustering Jaewoo once again, she gives them a soft smile. “If you don't feel comfortable here, let me know, yeah? And in case you don't know, we also offer some online classes and training videos for our members.”

He is absolutely going to watch those videos and train at home.

“Thank you.” Jeonghan says, and Jaewoo nods his head. The teacher gives him another smile, but the look in her eyes is familiar, one that Jeonghan has seen on doctor Im before. He knows she's not going to ask, and she probably doesn't need to.

He likes her even more.

Seungcheol's eyes are still red when he meets them at the door. For a tiny moment Jeonghan's chest constricts then he remembers that Seungcheol has probably just watched one of the worst betrayals in their recent favorite drama series. Their children either don't notice or don't care. The second Jeonghan sets Byeol down she runs off to the living room, where she still gets the energy after running around the jungle gym for an hour, Jeonghan doesn't know. Jaewoo latches onto Seungcheol's knees chattering about the class, how nice their teacher is, and what he learned, and all of the poses that he wants to show him.

“Sounds like you had fun.” Seungcheol says, brushing Jaewoo's hair out of his face.

“It was great! We have class again next week, but the teacher said that we can practice at home.” Jaewoo, his lovely, precious, brilliant son says, and turns to him. “Appa and I are going to practice together. You can watch.”

“Sure thing, buddy.” Bless his husband's heart for giving in so easily. “I can't wait.”

“Hey.” Jeonghan greets him when Seungcheol's attention finally returns to him. “I see you caught up.”

“Why didn't you warn me?” Seungcheol demands to know, and Jeonghan can't hold back his laughter. “Hannie!”

“What? If you'd been around, we could have watched it together.”

It's not meant to be a complaint or anything, but Seungcheol starts to pout. He's been skipping a lot of their movie nights to go to the gym, and Jeonghan doesn't mind at all. It's good for him. He's happier, healthier, and his muscles are amazing.

“Are you mad at me?” Seungcheol says, jutting out his lower lip even more, looking very much like Byeol in that moment.

“No, silly.” Leaning in for a kiss, Jeonghan kisses Seungcheol's worries away. “I don't mind watching it alone, but you don't get to complain if I don't warn you.”

“We haven't watched a movie together in a while.” Seungcheol sounds wistful.

“Yep.”

“I'm going to call gym off for Friday and we can have a movie night.” Seungcheol tells him, wrapping his arms around his waist. “We can get Seokmin to watch the kids and watch a movie and cuddle.”

“It's fine.” He tries to reassure Seungcheol. “You don't need to skip gym for me.”

“No.” Seungcheol insists, cradling Jeonghan's face in his hands, looking at him with an intensity that has Jeonghan's knees go weak. “I want to spend time with you. I want to have a movie night with you, okay?”

“Okay.”

His big, muscly husband grins, and picks him up like he weighs nothing. His surprised squeak has the children come running. Byeol lets out a squeal of her own, throwing herself at Seungcheol's leg, and Jaewoo is quick to join in. Under their children's relentless attacks, Seungcheol caves, dropping Jeonghan to the floor with a loud thud and snatching his children instead. The amount of shrieking could have been right out of a horror movie and Jeonghan is sure that their neighbour's would have called the police on them, if not for the excited laughter in between.

In the evening after Seungcheol returns from the gym, very not subtly flexing his muscles causing Jeonghan to bump into yet another chair and has him swearing to himself that he's going to get back at Seungcheol, they curl up on the couch. Byeol suckles on a slice of apple, staring intently at the screen, watching as the cartoon furniture dances and sings. Next to her, Jaewoo is slowly dozing off, little pieces of banana stick to the corner of his mouth - their yoga demonstration long forgotten.

“They're so cute.” Jeonghan whispers into Seungcheol's ear, but Seungcheol doesn't seem to hear him, staring at the screen just as transfixed as Byeol. “Cheol?”

“Hm?”

“Nevermind.”

The next Tuesday rolls around and Jeonghan finds himself back at the center with the children. The receptionist greets them cheerfully, making some small talk before the class starts. Jeonghan learns that he is recently single, that he's a year older than him, and loves the same drama. They instantly bond over their great taste in movies and music. Before the teacher arrives, they exchange numbers and Dongho promises that he's going to send him a list of all the drama that he absolutely has to watch. Besides being cheerful, Dongho is also a perfect source of information, and Jeonghan respects that.

Entering the practice room, Jeonghan greets the parents and Jaewoo picks a spot in the corner by the window. Byeol takes one look at the room, rushes around to greet everyone, and then is off to the jungle gym.  
The class is fun, but doesn't take much out of him. The poses are nice for stretching, but none of them actually feel challenging. But watching Jaewoo try so hard and hold the poses so determined make it absolutely worth it in Jeonghan's eyes. He could probably try some of the intermediate poses, but he doesn't want to leave Jaewoo alone in class, absolutely not, under no circumstances, no matter how well he is doing. Their brilliant teacher, however, tells him that he's wasting his potential and offers him to join an additional intermediate class and free online lessons. Not that she'd say it out loud, but Jeonghan can tell that she has a soft spot for Jaewoo – and it's perfectly reasonable; it's difficult not to love his shy, sweet son. The offer also comes with the added benefit of being able to practice at home – and Jaewoo is still absolutely determined to show Seungcheol how well he's doing.

Dongho soon becomes part of his group chat where they have daily discussions about drama among other things – a lot of members belong to his yoga class and Jeonghan is pleased to learn that that homophobic father isn't part of the chat and that absolutely no one likes him. More often than not he finds himself talking to Dongho after watching a drama, since Seungcheol has been so busy with his workouts, he hasn't really been around to watch together – even if they did have their one movie night.

“Who are you talking to?” Seungcheol has asked more than once in the last few days, looking grumpier and grumpier when Jeonghan tells him. It's kind of cute, though Jeonghan doesn't really understand the grumpiness.

Yoga class becomes one of his favourite things – next to his family and friends. Their teacher has been slowly introducing more difficult poses for those who feel ready. For the first time since the class started, Jeonghan can feel the burn and is rather exhausted after trying out some of the intermediate poses. He knows with utmost certainty that he is going to try the upward and the downward facing dog poses at home – he tried to pronounce the proper names many, many times, but his tongue won't just cooperate and he'd finally given up. Besides being excellent for his back, he knows that Seungcheol is going to get distracted – he has to - and he's set his sight on the bow and plough poses. There are a lot more poses that he wants to try, but for the moment he is going to aim low. As amazing as being able to twist himself into a pretzel sounds, he is not keen on trying the even more difficult poses without proper guidance. So Seungcheol will have to wait.

“The kids are asleep.” Seungcheol whispers in his ear, pressing a kiss against his nape. And Jeonghan wants to cave in. Wants Seungcheol so bad. But everything burns and he's tired. Bath time had been less than great as always, but Byeol's tantrum had reached new heights. Even Jaewoo's darling promises of cuddles and cookies hadn't been able to calm her down.

“I know.” He replies, unable to even turn around and look at Seungcheol. “I'm tired.”

“Too tired for me?”

His eyes are already sliding shut. Seungcheol, strong, muscular Seungcheol, tugs on his shoulder and turns him around. When he sees how tired Jeonghan is, his eyes soften.

“I'm sorry I was out so long.” Seungcheol says, pulling him into his arms. “I know I should have been home earlier and helped with bath time.”

He should have. But what's done is done, and Jeonghan doesn't want him to feel bad. Despite Seungcheol's appointment running much longer than expected, everything had been manageable. Humming under his breath, he noses against Seungcheol's neck, snuggling closer into the glorious heat.

“'sfine.” He somehow manages to murmur, though he's not sure if Seungcheol even understood him.

There's a chuckle and a hand in his hair, tugging on the long strands. His hair has gotten too long, falling over his shoulders, and he needs to pull it back constantly. He should probably get it cut soon, Jeonghan notes, but Seungcheol's hand in his hair is so nice, and Jeonghan is so tired.

“Goodnight.”

In the morning after Seungcheol left for his morning run, Jeonghan takes the children into the living room, rearranging the furniture to make some space for their yoga mats. His tablet sits securely on the coffee table, propped up by one of Byeol's countless tiger toys. Jaewoo is sitting on his mat and intently listening to the training video, while Byeol does a somersault on hers. Her attention is not going to last very long, but he has already anticipated that. Her currently favorite block puzzle is waiting and ready for her once she gets bored. And as he expected it doesn't take long. As usual Jaewoo is holding his poses with utmost concentration, occasionally glancing at him for approval. At first he tries to follow Jeonghan's poses when they get to the more difficult poses, but eventually accepts that he isn't ready yet. His fake maturity and the obvious pout are utterly adorable, and Jeonghan gladly goes back to the easier poses, so that Jaewoo can keep up with him. He absolutely adores the downward facing dog, because Byeol will ignore her block puzzle and use that chance to crawl underneath them, making little train noises.

The door lock clicks open and Byeol forgets both her waiting block puzzle and her current game of being a train in order to greet her father.

“I'm home.” Seungcheol yells from the entrance, but neither Jaewoo nor Jeonghan move a muscle.

“Welcome home.” Jaewoo yells, sounding very strained. His face is turning red with concentration, but he refuses to budge.

“Hey. What are you two up to?” Seungcheol calls back, entering the living room and coming to a dead stop. “Uhm...”

A triumphant choir sings in Jeonghan's mind. He knew it. What a sucker.

“Hi Cheollie.” He greets, slowly straightening himself, shaking his limbs loose before sliding down and into the upward facing dog position. “Did you have a good run?”

“Yeah?” Seungcheol says, watching transfixed as Jeonghan arches his back. There is definitely a distracted note in his voice. What a good, reliable husband.

“That's nice.” The pose is really nice for his back, and it comes with the added bonus of Seungcheol staring.

“Appa, look! Hannie-appa can do difficult ones!”

Jaewoo's enthusiasm is heartwarming and he is setting up Seungcheol so nicely. Giving in to his son's puppy eyes, he twists himself around, first into a headstand and then slowly letting his legs drop forward and stretching out his arms behind his back for balance.

“It's called the plow pose.” Jaewoo explains, and Seungcheol almost gets an aneurysm.

“The what now?” Seungcheol has gone visibly red, but Jeonghan is only marginally aware of that. Holding the pose takes concentration, and while it's great and he loves it, he does not want to topple over and make a fool of himself.

“Plow?” Jaewoo says innocently. “It has a complicated real name, but even the teacher can't say it right, so we say plow.”

“I see.” Seungcheol says, sounding strained. “I... uh... I should shower. Do-uhm... breakfast?”

“Take your shower.” Jeonghan tells him. “I need another 20 minutes and then I'm ready. I promised Dongho I'd call him after my exercises.”

“Dongho?” That got Seungcheol's attention. Interesting.

“He's a recep- recep-tionist.” Jaewoo explains eagerly. “He's really nice. He talks to appa a lot. And he gives us candy.”

“Uh-huh.”

That is most certainly jealousy in Seungcheol's eyes. Jeonghan would love to snicker out loud at the thought of ever falling for a man who isn't Seungcheol, but Seungcheol can stew in his jealousy for a little bit longer.

“How about you take your shower and I do my exercises?” Jeonghan says. Jaewoo looks torn between wanting to stay with him, and wanting to go to the bathroom with Seungcheol. If Jeonghan got lucky, Seungcheol would shower while the kids stayed in the room with him, and chat with him.

“Fine.” With a huff Seungcheol picks up both children, Jeonghan holds back a little whimper at the flex of Seungcheol's biceps, and makes his way to the bathroom.

As soon as Seungcheol is out of sight, Jeonghan rolls onto his back. Snatching his phone from the table, he calls Joshua, unable to keep the story to himself. Predictably, Joshua laughs for a good ten minutes, struggling to breathe, and proceeds to call the both of them ridiculous. Which is fine. Jeonghan can be ridiculous if that means not having Seungcheol lord the power of his muscles over him. Once he's done, he shoots Dongho a quick message, best to cover all his bases, and lets him know what is going on. The only message he gets in return is “should I lay it on thick if he picks you up?” and Jeonghan knows that he's found a good friend.

Packing up the mats, he starts pushing the furniture back into position. When the room resembles their actual living room again, the little whirlwind that is their daughter comes rushing into the room. The braid in her hair is very uneven, but without having seen Seungcheol do it, Jeonghan knows that Byeol didn't stay still for a second.

“Hey Byeollie. Want to help me set the table?”

By the time the table is set, Byeol has stacked several plastic cups into a pyramid, which would be very impressive if she hadn't chosen to place it right in front of the fridge, making it impossible to open the door.

“Hey babe.” Seungcheol says. When Jeonghan turns around, he almost drops the fork.

“Where's your shirt?” He asks, looking at his very much shirtless husband. With his nice abs. And his nice pecs. And his nice everything.

“Oh, I was feeling a bit warm.” Seungcheol says nonchalantly, easily picking up Byeol and placing her in her high chair. Jaewoo trudges into the room, and immediately sets upon removing Byeol's pyramid to get to his yogurt.

“I see.” Jeonghan says, trying to place his fork on the plate and nearly missing it. What a sneaky man. But he's not going to win this one. Running his hand over his hair, then pulling it up into a bun, he goes to sit down. “Could you get the milk? Byeollie's pyramid was blocking the fridge.”

When he doesn't get a response, he looks up at Seungcheol. His face is bright red and his eyes are fixed on Jeonghan's hair.

“Are you okay?”

“Yep.” The pitch of Seungcheol's voice is weird. Even weirder is his fumbling with the fridge. The jug of milk shakes in his hands as he places it on the table. And the weirdest part is his awkward shuffle to his seat. None of it makes sense.

Breakfast is filled with the children talking about their plans for the day. Byeol and Jaewoo have a playdate with Wonwoo and Soonyoung, and Jaewoo is eager to show his uncles his yoga skills, asking if he can take his little mat with him. Jeonghan has heard the plans to go to an outdoor adventure park, that the little mat likely won't survive, but doesn't have it in him to say no to Jaewoo puppy dog eyes. At least those mats are cheap.  
As soon as breakfast is done, they get the children ready, knowing that Wonwoo will be there around 9am on the dot, though Soonyoung might run late. When the doorbell rings the children trip over themselves to open the door, ending in a thump and a bruised knee, but none of that matters when Wonwoo shows them a photo of where they are going. Only five minutes later Soonyoung shows up, panting and with a big backpack.

“You know,” Wonwoo begins, watching as Seungcheol and Soonyoung secure the kids in their seats. “I haven't seen you wear a bun in years. Since college, I believe.”

“Probably.” Jeonghan's hair had been even longer back then. He'd loved it, but it had also been a statement to his peers. Seungcheol had loved it just as much as him, often brushing his hair for hours when Jeonghan had let him. Perhaps he should keep it long for a while longer.

“It looks good.” Wonwoo tells him. When Soonyoung calls him, he gives Jeonghan a reassuring smile. “We'll call if anything happens. We know all the emergency contacts and I'll make sure to keep an eye on the three of them.”

“I trust you. Have fun.”

Once they've taken off, Jeonghan finally makes his way into the bathroom, tugging on his yoga pants when the door is pushed open.

“You are the worst.” Seungcheol says, crowding Jeonghan against the sink.

“Am I?” Batting his eyelashes, Jeonghan leans back, mustering his still topless husband. He wonders if Seungcheol even noticed the judgmental look Soonyoung had given him when Seungcheol had walked around half-naked.

“First you start yoga, then you talk to this Dongho guy.” Seungcheol starts, voice dipping into a growl. “And then you wear this? Is that what you wear to your yoga class?”

“Yep.”

“And Dongho has seen it?” Seungcheol demands to know, putting his big hands on Jeonghan's hips.

“Yep.”

“Jeonghan.” The growl is more prominent now. “You can't do that. You can't wear that in front of other people.”

“Why not? It's just yoga clothes.” Jeonghan says, thoroughly enjoying seeing Seungcheol flounder.

“You can't. Not the pants. With the bending over. And the hair.” Shifting even closer Jeonghan can feel something hard poking him. Ooh. “You can't do that.”

“Why not? What's so bad about the hair?” Jeonghan asks. The pants he can understand, but the hair? Seungcheol has always loved his hair. “Don't you like my bun?”

The sound that Seungcheol makes is inhuman. With strength that makes Jeonghan tremble, he picks him up and carries him to the bedroom. Throwing him onto the bed, Seungcheol all but crawls on top of him.

“Hannie, back in college...” Seungcheol begins, swallowing hard. “You always put your hair a bun when you went down on me.”

Oh. Ooh. He had all but forgotten about that.

“And?” Jeonghan asks, trailing his finger along Seungcheol's collarbone, watching as his eyes dilate.

“Every time you've put your hair in a bun in the last few weeks, I've had to hide behind pillows.” Seungcheol says. “Jeonghan, we have children, Jeonghan. I can't go around sporting awkward boners. They can't see me like that. You get that right, Hannie? Right?”

His silly, lovely husband. How he adores him. Giving Jeonghan such perfect ammunition.

“Of course.”

“So you won't do it again?” Seungcheol sounds so earnest that Jeonghan almost feels bad for lying to him. Almost.

“Whatever you want, Cheollie.” He says, dragging Seungcheol into a kiss.

They absolutely are going to play “If you flex, I'll pull up my hair” for the next few weeks, but he'll give Seungcheol a day or two to figure it out.

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to @dusksvt for requesting more parents JC, because I'd never ever have considered writing them on my own. Also thanks to @wish_us_luck for listening to my ramblings


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